


Life Will Change

by kathoo



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Gen, M/M, No Spoilers, Slow Burn, characters from other games will show up but they're not significant, for the most part anyway, its the rules of being a Protagonist(tm), ouma becomes friends with everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-05-23 22:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14942684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathoo/pseuds/kathoo
Summary: Upon moving to Tokyo after being labeled a "delinquent" for a crime he didn't commit, Kokichi Ouma finds himself wrapped around in a world full of people far worse than he could ever pretend to be. Deciding to play the hero for once, he decides to take it upon himself (and his friends—can he call them that?) to right the wrongs in this world.The idea of Phantom Thieves are pretty cool after all, right?[Persona 5 AU]





	1. A New City

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Just a warning, all the ships that are tagged are the ships that will be present in the story. It'll take a pretty long time for everything to fully develop, but things will be on their way pretty quickly. However, some ships will take awhile to even appear, as it will take awhile for some characters to appear. I want to go along the "new member each castle" thing that P5 had going on.
> 
> Other than that, feel free to go on!

_“H-Hey, let go of me!” a feminine voice demanded._

_Kokichi didn’t know who had said it, or what it was about, but he did know one thing_ _—he couldn’t ignore something like this. It was late in the night, and he wasn’t stupid. There were very few things that this could be about. He was already past his curfew, and now he’d have to deal with whoever was bothering the woman in question…. Oh, well._

_He made a right at the end of the block he was on to see exactly what he’d heard—a man gripping a woman’s wrist with a deadly force. The woman was twisting and turning, doing absolutely everything in her power, but to no avail. The man yanked on her long blonde hair and shoved her down._

_“Listen here,” the main said, voice dripping with venom, “you’re going to get in that damn car. I don’t give a fuck whether you like it or not.”_  
  
_“Please,” the woman begged, tears running down her face. “Stop!”_

 _Kokichi couldn’t see the woman very well in the darkness, but he knew that if he could it probably wouldn’t be a pretty sight. He felt his fists clench. Was the man… drunk? How much more disgusting could this get?_ _  
_

_“Hey,” Kokichi called, dropping his backpack and running over to where the two stood. “What’s going on?”_ _  
_

_“Huh?” the man grunted, turning around to face Kokichi. “Get lost, kid. This ain’t none of your business.”_

_“That’s a double negative,” Kokichi pointed out, “so you’re saying that this is my business.”_

_“I said get lost!” the man yelled, loosely swinging a fist towards Kokichi. Luckily for him, the man was drunk and had absolutely terrible aim. He didn’t even need to dodge with how far off the man went from actually hitting him._

_The man ending up falling over from how unsteady he was, and fell onto the hard concrete. His face was now covered in blood that was undoubtedly a result from the impact of the concrete. Small dots and cuts marred his face, all of them joining together to create one pool of blood. And Kokichi hadn’t even done anything._

_“Brat!” the man hissed, lifting himself up again. With the alcohol in his system, Kokichi doubted that he could feel any pain. “I’ll sue you!”_  
_  
“You fell on your own,” Kokichi deadpanned._

_“You really don’t know who I am, do you…?” the man questioned, his face contorting into some sort of sick grin. He was getting uglier by the second. “It doesn’t matter. The police are my bitches, and they’ll believe whatever I tell them.”_

_Kokichi found himself unable to say a word as the man stepped forward to attack once more._

.

 

**4/9**

 

Kokichi Ouma shook the memory outside of his head before it could finish. He’d been trying for months to block it out, but it only continued replaying and replaying. It was almost like a curse in some strange way. _Don’t think about it_ , he reminded himself, _it’ll make it easier. You’re going to be an entirely new person, now. You’re going to start again._

After the police had charged him for “harassment” on that night, he had been labeled a delinquent and his parents had kicked him out of the house. They were strict people who wanted the absolute best from him without bothering to think of other people. In all honesty, he wouldn’t miss them. Not at all.

He didn’t like the fact that he had to move even more, though. Since his parents didn’t want him, they’d placed him with a distant relative. Juzo Sakakura. Apparently he was a family friend that he’d never met, but hopefully he’d be better than his parents had been. Then again, it wouldn’t be very difficult to be a better guardian than either of his parents.

“Yongen-Jaya,” the speakers inside of the subway said, “this is Yongen-Jaya.”

His stop.

He stood up, pushing his way through the crowded subway. He bumped into several people on his way out, but none of them seemed to say anything about it. Finally, he stepped off of the subway, and into the place he’d be living in for the rest of his school years.

The station was unbearably cold, but he managed to make his way through.

 

.

 

Standing in front of the address he’d been given, he read _Leblanc Diner_ on the sign above the building. Did that mean that Juzo owned a diner? _Does that mean free food?_

He knocked loudly on the door, hope for a decent meal coursing through his veins. At first he was afraid that Juzo might not be there, but soon enough the door opened, bells jingling. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the person standing before him.

Juzo was very tall, and very, very muscular. This was _not_ the kind of person that he’d expect to be running a diner. Speaking of which, why _did_ Juzo send him to his diner rather than his own house? That seemed a bit pointless. _Maybe he’s going to give me food before we go to his house… Yeah. That’s probably it._

“Welcome,” Juzo said, voice gruff. “I’m Juzo Sakakura. I’ll be your… well, guardian, I guess.”

“I know,” Kokichi said simply, grinning up at him. “So… what kind of food do you have?”

Juzo rolled his eyes, before stepping aside to allow Kokichi to walk in. “Come inside. We have some important things to talk about.”

Kokichi stepped inside the diner, the smell of fresh curry instantly surrounding him. _This smells… so good…_ The diner itself looked rather old-fashioned. Maybe that was the kind of look that some people craved? Either way, the entire place looked extremely distasteful to him. Not to mention how hot it was all of a sudden. Was he the type of guy who was too cheap to pay for air conditioning? Did he get any customers at all?

“Look,” Juzo said, leaning against the counter. “You’re on probation. I’m sure you know what that means. One screw-up and you’re done for. I don’t want any trouble, you got that? One mistake and you’ll be packing your bags. Again.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Kokichi agreed, soluting.

Juzo sighed. “You’re already coming off as pretty annoying. Here, I’ll show you to your room…”

Kokichi blinked. “This is a diner.”

“Your room is in the attic upstairs,” Juzo told him, crossing his arms. “Is there a problem with that?”  
  
“Yes,” Kokichi confirmed. “Several.”  
  
“Follow me,” Juzo commanded, turning to walk up a staircase at the back of the diner. Kokichi reluctantly followed Juzo. Attics were pretty big, right? Maybe he’d just have a lot of space.

Wrong.

The attic was small, cramped, and worst of all, he didn’t even had a bed. He had a bunch of crates with a sheet draped over them. “You can’t make me sleep here.” The entire room was covered in clumped up dust, and almost any surface was practically untouchable.

Juzo sighed. “It’s not like you’ve got anywhere else to go. Look, kid, you need to understand your situation here. Just because I’m taking you in doesn’t mean I’m going to treat you like you’re my son. You’re still potentially dangerous, and don’t think I’m going to forget that.”

Kokichi opened his mouth to make another retort, but then closed it. It didn’t matter if he tried to defend himself on the matter. Juzo—or anyone else—would never believe him. It would just be a waste of breath. _The one time I do something good in my life, and I get punished for it… only someone like me would have that kind of bad luck._

“I’ll take your silence as you understand,” Juzo announced. “There are some cleaning supplies downstairs somewhere. If you want to tidy up your room, feel free to use them. I’m sure that someone like you could stand to do a little housework, after all.”

Someone like him. That’s what he was. A delinquent. _Even though I did nothing wrong._

“Is that all?” Kokichi asked pointedly, itching to be left alone.

“Yeah,” Juzo confirmed, brushing past him to leave. “Oh, and by the way, I’m taking you to your new school tomorrow. They’re going to give you a tour before school starts. I was surprised that such a prestigious school was even willing to take someone like _you_ in, but… apparently your past grades impressed them.”

Kokichi casted Juzo a sideways glance. “Yeah?”

“Anyway,” Juzo brushed the topic off, “be ready by tomorrow morning. I’ll drive you and everything, but from tomorrow on you’ll be taking the subway. Got it? Your school pass let’s you go from here to Shibuya to Aoyama-Itchome.”

“What school are you talking about?” Kokichi narrowed his eyes. “No one told me about this.”  
  
“Hope’s Peak,” Juzo answered. “Consider yourself lucky.”  
  
“You seem to feel very strongly about it,” Kokichi observed.

“I went there,” Juzo revealed. “It’s an amazing school. I’m almost ashamed that someone like you is going there… then again, if your grades are _that_ good then I suppose you belong there. Just don’t disappoint anyone more than you already have.”

Kokichi sat down on his “bed” and made himself comfortable. Hope’s Peak Academy, huh? He’d heard of it before, but he didn’t know too much about it. “Does it have uniforms?”  
  
“No.” Juzo’s annoyance was far too apparent than it probably should have been. “They like to encourage creativity and self-expression. Are you done now? I’ll be going to my house—it’s not far off from here. I’ll leave my address on the counter downstairs if you need to grab me for anything.”

“So you’re leaving me here unsupervised?” Kokichi wanted to play it all off as a joke, but he was genuinely surprised by what an awful guardian he’d been dealt.

Juzo looked uncomfortable. “I really would let you into my house, but… there are some pretty big complications. Here, I’ll give you my number, alright? You can call me at any time. Besides, wouldn’t a kid like you love to be alone? Just don’t mess up the diner, got it? I’ll have the police get involved if anything goes missing.”

“Right, ‘cause I’m a troublemaker,” Kokichi filled in for him, grinning. “Got it.”  
  
“You’d better be up tomorrow,” Juzo warned him, making his way down the stairs. “... Night.”

Once Juzo was gone, Kokichi let himself fall against the crates with a sigh. Hope’s Peak Academy… he’d been accepted, and yet he’d never even known for all this time. It was amazing that they would let someone with such a bad record in there. He hadn’t performed that well, had he?

 _This is stupid_ , he thought, and he knew he was right. This entire thing was so… dumb. He’d been screwed over once, and now he had to start his entire life over again. How was that fair? How was any of that fair?  
  
_It doesn’t matter if it’s fair or not. I’ll just have to find a way to make it through._

He closed his eyes, and somehow sleep managed to come to him.

 

.

 

**4/10**

 

“The tour’ll take an hour,” Juzo told him as Kokichi was about to leave his car. “I’ll be back by then, so don’t make me wait around, got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Kokichi said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He slammed the car door, which was followed by a shout of indignation from Juzo.

Hope’s Peak Academy…?

The building was impossibly large, with the school name written in what appeared to be gold at the entrance of the school. The pillars were large and well-made, and the double doors looked… intimidating, to say the least. Was this really the place he’d be learning at? Did he deserve something like this?

It didn’t really matter about what he deserved, though, because whether he did or not—he had it. And that was all that was important.

The walk to the faculty office was a short one. The wooden floors creaked as soon as he stepped on them, but there wasn’t anyone around to hear it, so he didn’t mind it. He opened the unlocked office door, prepared to meet a random teacher who would lecture him on how lucky he was to be there. However, there were only two people in the office—a man in a suit, and another boy who looked to be around his age. They were both wearing formal attire, and he felt a bit out of place in his neon t-shirt that he had thrown on last minute. The man was sitting in a chair, seemingly talking to the boy next to him, but all halted the second that Kokichi made his presence known.

“Ah,” the man said, “and you’re Kokichi Ouma, correct?”

Kokichi nodded. “That’s me.”

The man smiled. “Welcome to Hope’s Peak Academy. We’re happy to have you. I’m Jin Kirigiri—the principal of this school. I’ve been warned of your past record, but I’m sure you’ll do just fine here. Just make an effort, alright? Please don’t make me regret accepting you in here despite all my advisors saying I should do otherwise. It’ll make me look stupid.”

“No promises,” Kokichi told him. “I’m a delinquent, after all, right?”  
  
“Maybe,” Jin agreed, “but sometimes people change. I understand what it feels like to be in your position. But, anyway, you’re here for a tour, and we’re running out of time. This is Shuichi Saihara, the vice student council president. He’ll be giving you your tour.”

The boy—Saihara, was it?—stood up, and gave a small bow. “Hello. You’re going to be a second year, right? We’ll be in the same year. I’ll be looking forward to our time together.”

Saihara’s hair was short and black. He looked very typical of a high school student, but… his eyes were a rather abnormal color. He couldn’t see it at first, but now while studying his face he could make out the golden tint they held. Interesting. He seemed boring, though. _Just like anyone else with a title as his probably is._

“Vice?” Kokichi asked. “What about the student council president?”  
  
Jin’s face morphed into something resembling a grimace. “Junko Enoshima was busy today, and decided to let Saihara give you the tour. I hope that you don’t mind.”  
  
Junko Enoshima…? He felt like he’d heard that name before. Maybe he’d have to look into it later on.

“I don’t,” Kokichi responded easily, sliding his hands into the pockets of his pants. “So, Saihara-chan, are we gonna start this tour or what?”

Saihara blinked. “Saihara-chan…? Ah, alright. I won’t waste any more of your time. Follow me.”

Saihara promptly stood up and walked out of the room, waiting for Kokichi to follow him. Casting one last glance at Jin—who only smiled at him—Kokichi left the nicely air-conditioned faculty office and followed Saihara as he lead him around the school.

“This floor is for the second years,” Saihara told him, “so this will be the floor both of us will be using. There’s not much of a point in taking you to every individual classroom on this floor, but I should show you to your homeroom teacher’s classroom. Do you know who you have?”  
  
Kokichi shook his head. “Nope. In fact, I didn’t even know I was going to this school until yesterday.”

“Huh?” Saihara gasped, caught off guard. “Yesterday…? That sounds like a rude awakening. Did you believe that you’d be attending your previous school? I heard that you moved far away from where you used to live, though.”

“Heard?” Kokichi echoed, abruptly halting in the hallway. “Who did you hear that from?”  
  
“Enoshima,” Saihara answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “She was spoken to privately about the matter by Principal Kirigiri, but she tends to run her mouth off often. She ended up telling me and almost everyone she knows about your arrival. Rumors spread quickly in this school. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone knows about your past already… I’m sorry about that.”

Kokichi clenched his fists. So much for wiping the slate clean. “Does that mean that everyone’s going to know about my criminal record?”

Saihara frowned. “I think so.”

Rather than the bad reaction that Saihara most likely believed that he would have, Kokichi grinned. “Cool! Hey, do you think I could play as a bad boy kind of guy? Or am I too short?”

Surprised by the change in mood so suddenly, Saihara took a moment to respond. “I—um—well… I don’t know?”

“You don’t need to say it,” Kokichi assured him, “I already know that I can totally pull it off. All I need is a leather jacket and a motorcycle. Do you know any good dealerships around here?”  
  
Saihara shook his head. “No…. Why are we talking about this, again?”

“Yeah, why are we? You’re getting distracted,” Kokichi accused.

“Um… okay,” Saihara gave in. “Anyway, we’re back to your homeroom teacher. I don’t know who it is, either, but if I had to make my best guess I’d say Ms. Yukizome. She’s usually the one to take in students that the other teachers tend to steer clear from. If that is the case, you’re really lucky. She’s an amazing teacher, I’ve heard.”

“Am I just going to walk into school tomorrow and go to her class because I think that it’s _probably_ her?” Kokichi deadpanned.

“N-No!” Saihara denied. “You should ask your guardian.”

Guardian? That was a strange choice of words. Usually someone would assume that he lived with his parents, wouldn’t they? Then, he realized. “Did Enoshima tell you that I got kicked out, too?”

Saihara winced. “Yeah…”

“Just how much does she know about me?” Kokichi asked. “This is creeping me out. Do I have a stalker, now?”  
  
“I don’t know how much Mr. Kirigiri told her,” Saihara admitted, “but I think that’s her only source. Then again, she has all sorts of connections. I don’t know anything for sure.”

“She sounds scary,” Kokichi commented. “She also sounds like a major bitch. How did someone like her become student council president?”  
  
“H-Hey!” Saihara protested, flushed. “You shouldn’t talk about her like that. She’s a year older than you, you know… And I know that she sounds irresponsible, but she actually does very well with her studies. She’s an exemplary student, just not much of an exemplary _person_ …”

Kokichi laughed. “Wow, Saihara-chan, you’re not leaving any survivors, are you?”

Saihara looked down. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be speaking about Enoshima like that. She’s really nice, it’s just… sometimes she doesn’t make great decisions. But she never does it with malicious intent…”

“If you say so,” Kokichi brushed it off, although his suspicions were still apparent in his mind. Why would Enoshima reveal something so confidential openly? There was no way she was innocent in it—he doubted the student council president would be that stupid. What was her objective? Was she trying to do something?

“In any case,” Saihara continued, “in case you do have Ms. Yukizome, I’ll be in the classroom next to yours. I’ll mainly be there in case there’s anything you’ll ever need.”

Kokichi faked a yawn. “I’m getting bored! Tell me… where’s the dungeon?”

Saihara gave him a blank look. “.... In any case, I’ll be showing you to the gym, now.”

 

.

 

The tour concluded faster that Kokichi thought it would. Either that, or time passed by fast. Maybe it was the fact that he couldn’t shake off their earlier exchange. How much did Enoshima know about him? And how much did everyone else know about him?  
  
Saihara led Kokichi back to the entrance, saying nothing. For once in his life, Kokichi was too immersed in his thoughts to say anything, either. Once they were outside, Kokichi realized how chilly it was. He probably should have brought a jacket. _Wait… did I remember to pack a jacket? I hope so. I don’t think Juzo would lend me anything of his in a thousand years._

“The school understands that you may have some trouble adjusting at first,” Saihara announced, turning to him. “So they’ve assigned me to be something like… a guide. Whenever you need anything at all, feel free to come to me. I’m willing to help you with studying, too, if you ever need any help. Just… don’t be afraid to ask. Here, I’ll give you my number.”

“Oh, exchanging numbers already?” Kokichi asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Saihara didn’t grace his response with a reaction, instead pulling out a post-it and scribbling his number on it. “Here. Text me if you ever need anything.”

“Is the school really making you get personal with a _delinquent_ just so I feel more comfortable?” Kokichi asked. “Or are you doing all of this for a college recommendation?”  
  
Saihara looked uncomfortable. “It doesn’t really matter. It’s not like I’ll be alone with you. I’m sorry, but you’re still a criminal. I’ll only be helping you inside the school after classes. You can text me, too, but beyond that… that’s all the interactions we’ll be having. I don’t mean to sound dismal, but I don’t want teachers to be wary of me if they think that I’m getting too close to you…”

“Ah,” Kokichi realized, “so you _don’t_ trust me?”

Saihara gave him a look that seemed to stare right through him. “If we switch positions for a second, would you trust me?”  
  
Kokichi gave him a grin that showed all of his teeth. “Hm... good point! I totally wouldn’t. Then again, I’ve always loved an adventure. So, maybe I would. Who knows?”

“I need to leave,” Saihara told him. “I’ll text you reminders about everything school-related, since you might need some help since you’re new. Oh… and I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but I’d like to advise you on something. Not because I think I know better than you, but because I don’t want things to be harder for you than they have to be.”

Kokichi cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Don’t mention your name if you don’t have to,” Saihara told him. “Not unless it’s someone you want to befriend. Other people won’t treat you sparingly. They’ll spread rumors, they’ll avoid you, they’ll see you differently… all of it.”  
  
“And what if I want people to know that I’m the guy with a bad record?” Kokichi asked. “What if that’s the kind of look I’m going for?”  
  
Saihara opened his mouth, then closed it. Finally, he said, “It was only a suggestion. You can do what you want, of course… I should go. Goodbye.”

Kokichi waved at him. “Bye, Saihara-chan!”

 

.

 

Once they were back inside the Leblanc, Juzo went directly to the counter, sliding into the space behind it with practiced ease. “You hungry?”

Kokichi was about to head back to his own room, but stopped in his tracks. “More than you think. Are you going to be a decent guardian and feed me before you go to your mysterious mansion off in the woods?”

Juzo rolled his eyes. “You really know how to get on someone’s nerves. If you’re hungry, I’ll make you some curry. Oh, and by the way, you’re going to have to get up on your own tomorrow. I don’t have time to worry about you.”

“You don’t seem to have time for anything involving me,” Kokichi retorted, but he took a seat by the counter despite his annoyance, anyway. “Will you even be here tomorrow morning?”

“Of course,” Juzo hissed. “I’m here every morning. I’ve got a diner to run. And it’s not like you’ll actually be alone all the time. Just late at night, really. I may not tend to you like your parents might have, but I’m not going to leave you to your own devices forever.”

_My parents weren’t much better than you. That’s what’s really sad about this situation._

“Thanks,” Kokichi said sarcastically. “I don’t like you very much, you know. You know, if I had any friends at all, I’d get them to come and beat you up.”

“Then you’d better make some,” Juzo suggested. If Kokichi didn’t know any better, he might think that Juzo said that because he genuinely cared about Kokichi’s well being. He did know better, though, and that couldn’t be it.

The curry was actually delicious, but he’d never admit it.

 

.

 

**4/11**

 

Kokichi was never one to wake up early in the morning by himself. He would have set an alarm, but he must have been so tired that he’d forgotten to the prior night. This would have screwed him over, had it not been for Shuichi Saihara.

 **[Shuichi Saihara, 7:20 AM]** Hi. School is starting in thirty minutes. You probably know this, but I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to remind you.

 **[Shuichi Saihara, 7:21 AM]** Also, I checked in with Mr. Kirigiri, and I was right. Ms. Yukizome is your homeroom teacher. She’s very nice, but also very punctual. Don’t be late.

The notifications must have woken him up. His messages didn’t really help him all that much, but the fact that he sent them did. _Wacky._

Kokichi rolled out of bed and prepared himself for school. There were no uniforms, so he could just wear whatever he wanted, right? That would be easy.

Whether or not school itself would be easy, though, had yet to be determined.

 

.

 

The subway station had been cluttered and smelled awful, but that just made it all the more relieving when he stepped outside of the station. Aoyama-Itchome was somewhere that he’d never imagined he’d go to anytime soon, but here he was, standing in it. Hope’s Peak was somewhere around here, right? Juzo had given him directions on where to go from the station, but… he didn’t listen to anything that Juzo told him.

He sighed. This was going to be annoying…

Suddenly, there was a bump against his side. Had someone ran into him? He began to turn around in order to take a look at them, but the person was already at his side.

A blonde girl with mesmerizing purple eyes was frowning at him. “I’m so, so sorry… I didn’t mean to bump into you like that. I’m just in a rush to get to my school and I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Kokichi felt curiosity course through him. “Do you go to Hope’s Peak Academy, too?”  
  
The girl blinked. “Yes! I do. Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t know you from last year. Are you new?”

“Yep,” Kokichi admitted, popping the last syllable. “In fact, I’m Kokichi Ouma. Have you heard about me?” If what Saihara said was true, then it was unlikely that there were many people who _didn’t_ know who he was. This would be interesting.

“Oh,” the girl said after a moment, “you’re the boy Enoshima-san was talking about. Welcome to Hope’s Peak Academy! You’ll love it here. I’m Kaede Akamatsu, by the way. We may not know each other very well, but feel free to talk to me anytime. I know it’s not easy moving somewhere new.”  
  
_That_ definitely surprised Kokichi. Not her response, but the mood of her response. Like she genuinely meant it. Wasn’t she cautious of him? Wasn’t she going to try to avoid him now that she knew he was bad news? Anyone else would, really.

“You’re weird,” he said, blunt.  
  
“Huh?” Akamatsu asked. “I’m not sure I understand…”  
  
“Aren’t you afraid of me? I could rob you,” he threatened. “Or I could kill you. Yeah. Right here, right now. I’m going to stab you.”  
  
Akamatsu stifled a laugh. “I’m sure you will.”  
  
“Take me seriously!” Kokichi complained, crossing his arms. “Hmph. Is this how you treat an upstanding citizen?”

“The same upstanding citizen who was about to stab me?” Akamatsu joked. “School is starting pretty soon, you know. You’re not planning on walking, are you?”  
  
“That was the plan,” he admitted. “Why? It’s not that far off, is it? Maybe if I just run _really_ fast—”

“My friend’s coming to pick me up,” Akamatsu interrupted him. “It’s a pretty long walk, you know. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you— Oh! Here she is!”

Their conversation was brought to a halt when a red car pulled up right in front of them. Inside a girl who looked to be around their age rolled the window down. Her pigtails were bigger than any that Kokichi had ever seen, but funnily enough, what caught his attention was her expression. It was relaxed, and yet… she seemed to be alert at the exact same time. _Maybe she’s the type of person who’s always on guard. Interesting._

“Harukawa-san!” Akamatsu cheered, smiling. “Ah, you’re finally here.”

“What do you mean, finally?” the girl who Akamatsu had called ‘Harukawa’ grumbled. “I’m here exactly when I said I’d be.”

“She seems moody,” Kokichi commented loud enough so that Harukawa could hear him. She seemed like the type who didn’t trust people easily—which he could relate to. However, she also seemed to have a naturally harsh attitude. He didn’t particularly like people who went out of their way to be rude. Sure, it was hypocritical of him, but when he did it it was funny. He doubted she even knew what humor was.

“Who’s he?” Harukawa demanded.

“Kokichi Ouma,” Akamatsu replied, giving her a knowing look. “Speaking of him, he’s going to need a ride, too. Is that alright?”  
  
Harukawa took a long look at him, before shaking her head. “I don’t feel comfortable letting strangers into my car. Not only that, but you have a bad reputation, don’t you, Ouma-kun? I’d hate it if people started talking about Akamatsu-san and I all because we were seen with you.”

"Jeez," Kokichi mumbled. "Did this Enoshima person tell  _every living person_ about my life? Just curious."

"Enoshima," Akamatsu practically spat, catching Kokichi by surprise. She then fixes her scowl and replaces it with a smile. But it's too late - Kokichi now knows her true feelings towards Enoshima. It's interesting, really. "She's... she does what she wants to, I guess. Like the queen of her own castle."  _Queen of a castle, huh?_

"I'm not giving you a ride, so you'd better be on your way if you even want to dream of making it to school on time," Maki informed him, not letting up.

“Harukawa-san,” Akamatsu stressed. “That’s not very nice…”

“Hm… it’s alright,” Kokichi decided. “Most people think of themselves first, anyway. It’s the natural order of things. You’re a special one, though, Akamatsu. Talking with you was fun. See you later.”

Kokichi slipped past them, ignoring Akamatsu’s indignant shout of, “Wait!” He would really appreciate a ride, but he didn’t want to go in Harukawa’s car if she didn’t want him there. And, to be frank, he would rather take a long walk to the school and almost be late than spend more time with her than he had to. It was a wonder how Akamatsu had befriended someone who was almost like the complete opposite to her.

However… he was still lost. _Oh, wait,_ he thought, _maybe I can use my phone’s GPS. Ha! Take that, Juzo! I don’t need your dumb help or your dumb curry._

He looked through his phone in search of the app, only to find a new app there. It had an eye as an icon. He definitely didn’t remember downloading it. Then again, sometimes late at night he was dissociate so badly that he wouldn’t remember a single thing that he did. It happened more often than he’d like to admit. _Oh, well. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just delete it._

After the deed had been done, he realized that it may have been a good idea to see what the app did before deleting it. Maybe there had been a reason for downloading it. It didn’t matter, though, he could just find out later—oh, right, the GPS.

Sadly, rather than letting him have five moments of peace, another person decided to run into him. Then again, it was probably his fault this time for standing in the middle of the sidewalk while staring at his phone. Another body crashed into his, although it was admittedly a much larger one this time.

Feeling more annoyed than usual, Kokichi turned around to snap, “Watch where you’re going!”

The boy standing in front of him looked down at him in confusion and anger. His hair was done into some sort of ridiculous hairstyle resembling a spike—so, basically, he looked absolutely ridiculous. “Hey, man, you were the one standin’ around. Don’t blame me!”  
  
“So you’re saying that it’s all my fault?” Kokichi accused. “That’s awfully rude of you. I should have you killed for this encounter.”

“K-Killed?!” the boy sputtered.

“It was a joke,” Kokichi deadpanned. “I’m kidding.”

“It’s not a funny joke,” the boy muttered. “Anyway, you were starin’ at your phone pretty hard. What were you looking for?”  
  
“None of your business,” Kokichi told him. “In fact, why are you still here?”

“Tch, no need to be a jerk,” the boy insisted. “Just answer the question. Are you a Hope’s Peak student?”

“How did you know that?” Kokichi questioned, narrowing his eyes. “Are _you_ my stalker? Well, it’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Stalker.”

“You can call me Momota,” the boy corrected him. “Kaito Momota. And I’m not a stalker. I just guessed, since it’s the only school close by here and all. I’m a student, too. What’s your name?”

Kokichi wanted to fabricate some random name and see how long it would take Momota to realize it wasn’t his actual name, but considering Enoshima’s affinity for spreading rumors, he wanted to see Momota’s reaction. “I’m Kokichi Ouma. The new kid.”

Momota was silent for a second, and then he began laughing, “ _You’re_ the kid with the criminal record? You’re so short, though…”

Kokichi genuinely felt offended. “Hey! Height doesn’t matter!”

Momota laughed it off. “Uh huh…. Oh, people are gonna look at you weird, you know that? It’s what they do. Just ignore ‘em. I know how to feels to be misjudged because of your past. You’re not such a bad guy, you know? Maybe we should stick together.”

“I’d rather die,” Kokichi lied. In truth, Momota didn’t seem to be bad company. If anything at all, he wasn’t boring. “But, you’re useful to me right now. I have no idea how to get to Hope’s Peak from here. Mind helping a fellow lawbreaker out?”

“Hey, I never said I broke the law!” Momota argued. “But, yeah, I’ll help ya. It’s pretty easy, it’s just… it’s just… well, you see, you have to—”

“You have no idea, do you?”

“... No.”

Kokichi sighed, bringing his phone out again. “Maybe I should just ask Saihara.” He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but the words just slipped out of his mouth. It was a good idea, though. A GPS couldn’t always be reliable, and Saihara seemed to have a pretty good idea of how to do things.

“Like… the vice student council president?” Momota asked.

“Yep,” Kokichi confirmed. “Is there something wrong?”  
  
“No,” Momota denied, “it’s just… it’s complicated.”  
  
“Oh, is it drama?” Kokichi asked, looking up from his phone. “Tell me more.”

Momota rolled his eyes. “It’s not _drama_ , it’s just… we’ve had our disputes in the past. He’s a good vice student council president, it’s just… he doesn’t _do_ anything. I don’t think he deserves his position if he’s too afraid to stand up against anything.”  
  
Kokichi raised up an eyebrow. “Stand up against what?”

Momota shook his head. “It’s… nothing. Anyway, I think it’s starting to come back to me. I’m pretty sure I’m right. Follow me this way!”  
  
Kokichi slid his phone back in his pocket and decided to follow Momota, and pray to whoever was out there that they wouldn’t end up too far off.

 

.

 

“Are we there yet?” Kokichi complained.

“I told you it was gonna be a long walk,” Momota defended himself. “Anyway, we that should be it right… t-there…?”

Kokichi looked up to see what had freaked Momota out so much, only to see something that was definitely worthy of that reaction.

Rather than the school that he had seen yesterday, it was replaced by a… stone castle. Not only that, but the sky around it had completely changed to resemble night. Rather than the double doors that there were before, new ones replaced it, now made out of wood. There was even a _moat_ surrounding the castle. The castle was huge—it had to be at least three stories high. Admittedly, it was nothing compared to most buildings, but it was so much more impactful when it was a _castle_.

“I don’t think we went the right way,” Kokichi said.

“No! We definitely did!” Momota insisted. “It… it should be right here!”  
  
“Momota-chan,” Kokichi began, “where are we?”

"I... I don't know," Momota admitted. "We went the right way. I know it! There's never been a castle around here, so I don't get why there's one right where the school should be. This is confusing."

"Are you sure you're not just bad at directions?" Kokichi tried again.

"I already said we went the right way!" Momota shouted, indignant.

Kokichi was about to say something else, but in that moment, a plank lowered over the moat granting them access. Okay. There was  _no_ way that was coincidental.

Turning to Momota, Kokichi grinned and told him, "Let's go in."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! All comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Hm, who's castle is it, I wonder...? I left so many hints that I'd be surprised if most people don't get it, but there's more than one possibility! 
> 
> This, being a P5 AU, will obviously be very, very long. I put a lot of time and effort into deciding the cast, and writing this chapter, too. Because of that, I hope that this will all be able to unfold nicely. Updates will be random, to be pretty honest, but they also won't be immediate. 
> 
> With that all out of the way, have a nice day!


	2. Enoshima's Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and Momota decide to see what lies inside of the castle. Or, Kokichi decides to see what lies inside, and Momota is reluctant to let him explore alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am super sorry for the long wait. but chapter two is finally here, and the ball is finally rolling. i'm really excited for this!

The area around them hung in a deep silence for a long moment. And then Momota said, “You’re fuckin’ crazy. Hell no! We’re not walkin’ into some… some _palace_ that we’ve never seen before in our lives! We don’t know who owns it, or if anybody owns it. What if we’re trespassin’ on property?”

“I’ve committed several crimes in the past,” Kokichi lied. “You know how I was charged for assault? That’s not even a fraction of the crimes I’ve committed. They’ve yet to find all my other countless acts against the law. I can handle a palace.”

“W-What?!” Momota exclaimed. “There’s no way… you have to be kidding! Why would you even tell me if you were really _that_ bad?”  
  
“Oops.” Kokichi put his arms behind his neck. “You got me. But, I’m being serious. There’s something wrong about this place, and I want to find out what’s up.”  
  
“You mean the sky changin’ colors?” Momota questioned. “Yeah, that’s definitely weird, but…”

“And you live around this area,” Kokichi pointed out, “so wouldn’t you know if there was something like a castle nearby? Wouldn’t that be a _major_ tourist attraction?”  
  
Momota was giving him a weird look. “I-I mean… I _guess_.”

“And aren’t you curious?” Kokichi urged. “Look at it. It’s _huge._  Don’t you wanna see what’s inside?”

“Now you’re just tryna’ brainwash me into goin’ in,” Momota accused, pointing a finger at him. “And I’m not gonna! We should be careful. Rushin’ into things isn’t a good habit.”

Kokichi rolled his eyes, tired of Momota’s moral attitude. If he wanted to accomplish something, he couldn’t do it by standing aside. However, Kokichi was never known to be patient, so he said, “Alright, then. Stay behind. I’ll go on ahead.”

“W-Wait!” Momota protested. “Dude, you’re not serious, are you…?”

Kokichi began to make his way towards the drawbridge that covered the moat. “I’m going, aren’t I?” Not bothering to look behind him, Kokichi continued onwards. There was a strange ominous mist that covered the entrance of the castle, but that only made it even more appealing to explore. It really set the entire theme of a mystery—and he loved mysteries.

His first step on the drawbridge was a shaky one, but he was small enough to the point where it wasn’t much of anything at all. Balancing himself, he took one step after the other, ready to enter the dark, mysterious castle. All was going well until a series of footsteps followed behind him, and then with a thud the drawbridge became extremely wobbly.

He turned around to face Momota. “Hey! What’re you doing?”

“I-I didn’t know it was this unsteady!” Momota defended himself while fighting to stay steady. “G-Geez, how old is this thing?”

“Just stop moving!” Kokichi commanded, genuine fear swelling from inside him. If they fell into the water… well, there was no telling what would happen. They didn’t know what was inside the water, and there would be no way to climb back out. Their only hope would be someone coming to find them, but he didn’t like relying on a possibility.

Momota forced himself to kneel on the drawbridge so that he didn’t have to worry about falling off, and soon enough the drawbridge stilled once more. Momota looked up at him and said, “Dude, this place isn’t safe. We need to go home.”

“Feel free,” Kokichi replied, before turning around to face the castle once more.

“I’m not leavin’ you behind!” Momota declared, readying himself to stand once more.

“No!” Kokichi shouted, panic more evident in his voice than it was before. It made Momota freeze. “Do _not_ stand up again, idiot. The same thing’s going to happen again. Just… crawl. Yeah. Crawl.”

“S-Seriously?” Momota sputtered. “I’m not doing that!”  
  
“Then go home,” Kokichi insisted, rolling his eyes. So far Momota was proving to be completely useless. Kokichi continued to walk forward, careful with every step. He could feel the minor shake of the drawbridge from Momota’s shaky crawling, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it had been before. _I guess he’s here to stay._

Once they were off the drawbridge and inside the palace, Kokichi was able to take a minute to examine his surroundings. The woods were made of stone, and there were crates almost everywhere scattered across the room. The entire palace game him a “medieval” vibe—but then again, that was to be expected, considering that the palace quite literally had a drawbridge.

“This place is seriously weird,” Momota commented as he scrambled back onto his feet. “Seriously, wouldn’t I have known if there was a freakin’ palace in the city? And wouldn’t there be some kind of sign to label it for tourists? And wouldn’t—”  
  
“Calm down, Momota-chan,” Kokichi urged. “Your voice gets even uglier the longer that you talk.”

“H-Hey!”  
  
“But you do have one good point,” Kokichi admitted, casting a sideways glance towards Momota. “There _would_ be something to label this palace if it was meant as a tourist attraction. There isn’t anything, though—which means it’s obviously not a tourist attraction.”

Momota raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Kokichi turned over a few degrees to face Momota directly, staring up at him. “I don’t know what that means. That’s what we’re trying to figure out, silly!”

Before Momota could even open his mouth to respond, a sharp _clink_ sounded from behind them. He and Momota both turned to stare at the source of the sound in unison—almost as if it had been synchronized. There, standing in uncomfortable looking metal armor, was a… knight? Was that what this guy was? His face was entirely covered by his helmet, and in a matter of milliseconds he wasn’t the only knight present.

“Who goes there?” one bellowed, unsheathing his sword and aiming it directly at Kokichi. The tip of the sword shone, even in the dim lighting.

“I-I—w-w-what?!” Kaito stuttered. Kokichi couldn’t see his face, but he had no doubt that it would be one of surprise and terror—an expression he wore often. _I’m scared, too,_ Kokichi thought. _But at least I’m not shrieking._ “W-Who the h-hell are you?!”

“Tch,” the knight scoffed. “Are you really in a position to be asking that question? Junko-sama won’t be pleased to know that two trespassers were barking back.”

“Junko-sama?” Kokichi echoes. “Like Junko Enoshima?”

One of the knight’s glared at him through his armor. “How dare you speak her name,” he hissed. “Such a thing is punishable by death here. But, Junko-sama chooses the punishments. If we made the decisions, you’d be dead by now.”

“But you don’t make the decisions, do you?” Kokichi asked. “By the looks of it, you’re just her attack dogs, carrying out her orders and doing the dirty work. If _Junko-sama_ really cared, she’d be here, wouldn’t she?”

“Um,” Momota began. “What the hell is going on?”

Kokichi wished he knew. But by the looks of it, Junko was the queen of this castle. _I’m probably dreaming_ , he thought. _Yeah. That makes sense, doesn’t it? A dream. I wonder how messed up my mind must be to dream about something like this._

“Silence!” one of the knights hissed. “Come with us.”

“Um,” Momota began, “no?”

The knights grabbed both of their wrists and dragged them off by force.

Kokichi struggled and wrenched himself backwards and forwards, but to no avail. Their iron grips couldn’t be broken free of - not to them, at least, normal human beings. It was like they were leagues above them in strength, which may be expected considering Kokichi’s non existent strength, but Momota was like twice Kokichi’s size, and even he couldn’t do anything.

A million things didn’t make sense. _Why are there knights? How did they get so lost as to find a castle? Are they even in Tokyo anymore? Why are they so aggressive? Why are they talking about Junko Enoshima?_

But as they’re being dragged along, Kokichi knows he’s not going to get answers like this.

  
  


.

  


He woke up in a cell.

“Ugh,” he groaned, rubbing at his head. He slowly blinked his eyes until they adjusted to the lighting—which there wasn’t much of. It was rather dim, and there didn’t need to be any windows nearby. There were two torches that he could make out shining in the distance. Kokichi pressed his hand against the rock hard ground.

“Oh, thank _god_ ,” a voice sounded from in front of him. He looked up to see… metal bars? They separated him from whatever room he was in and whatever was outside. Just ahead of the bars were two of the knights that he’d seen before and… a girl. She was blonde with two pigtails and icy blue eyes, and she looked to be about Kokichi’s age. She had a huge grin on her face. Alarms were ringing in his head. “I was worried that you’d never wake up. It’s no good to have guests if you can’t speak to them, am I right?”

No one responded.

“Hmph,” the girl scoffed. “That’s really no way to treat your queen. You should be begging to kiss my shoes, you know. Then again, these bars are in the way, so I’ll give you a pass. Kissing metal really isn’t all that fun, I’ll admit.”

“Who,” he began, only to find that his throat was beyond dry and felt weak, “the hell are you?”

The girl blinked. And then she laughed. She laughed and she laughed.

“Haha—hahahahaha!” the girl howls. “You… you really don’t know who I am? That’s hilarious. It really is, considering that _I’m_ the one who spilled your past record to the whole damn school. They all know about you, y’know. You’re never going to get a chance to live a normal high school life. It’s really amazing, isn’t it? How I can ruin your entire life if I just press ‘send’ in a group chat? Or if I run my mouth off just once? Isn’t that _fascinating_?”

It clicked. “Enoshima."

Enoshima grinned and did an extravagant bow. “Junko Enoshima in the flesh! Nice to meet you. What’s your name? Haha—I’m kidding. How could I forget the first ever delinquent to transfer to Hope’s Peak? You’re going to be the talk of the school for, well, forever. And it’s _all_ because of me.”

“You seem proud,” he spat, forcing himself to sit up. His arms failed him and collapsed underneath him. He felt so… exhausted…

Enoshima blinked, before her face morphed into a broken expression. Her voice became low and grave.. “I… I’m not proud. I know I’m a bad person. I… I just… I’ve always been this way! How can I change? How can I be a better person? Life’s always been hard for me. I think that deep down I’m not so cruel, but I don’t know how I can be anything else.”

Kokichi rolled his eyes. “Drop the act. You have impressive acting, but it’s not enough to fool me.”

Enoshima’s face popped back into her previous grin. “You can? Ah… what a _shame_. Now that’s just boring. That’s what I don’t like about people. I figure them all out in a second, and once I do, they’re just… boring. Like nothing at all. But do you know what isn’t boring?”

A voice groaned beside him, and he turned his head to see Momota lifting his head off of the ground, the rest of his body still on the floor. _Has he been here the entire time? They threw us in the same cell? Right… we’re in cells. Enoshima and the guards are blocking my view from beyond the cell, but… is this some kind of dungeon?_

His mind flashed back to the dungeon joke he made to Saihara yesterday. Funny.

“Awh, you aren’t going to answer? Okay.” Enoshima sighed, feigning a forlorn expression. “I’ll tell you the answer, then. I bet you’re the kind of kid who doesn’t know the answers to tests, so he cheats. You really are a delinquent, aren’t you? Just kidding! That’s probably not true, but I can make everyone believe it’s true if I just feel like it.”

 _Shut up._ Kokichi clenched his fists, trying to ignore Momota, who was currently showing off his strength and sitting up, which Kokichi couldn’t do.

“As fun as manipulating people is, it’s not that great. Once I have someone figured out, I already know what they’re gonna do, you know?” Enoshima continued, playing with one of her pigtails. The knights beside her remained completely silent. “Everything is just so boring! But you know what isn’t boring? Bending someone until they break. Because when a person _breaks_ … they become an entirely different person. They show everything they keep hidden underneath. Of course, it takes a lot to break someone. It takes feeling real _despair_ , you know?”

Kokichi said nothing. 

Enoshima took a step towards the cell, her grin now in the full light of the torches. “You’re a delinquent, technically, so maybe you’ll have a few surprises up your sleeve. I’m going to bend you slowly until you finally _snap._  I wonder how many rumors I can spread about you on your first day of school. It’s what they’ve been telling you. New school, new life—except this one’s much worse.”

“Shut up!” Momota snaps from beside him. Kokichi looks up to see him standing. How can he have that much strength. “Don’t talk to him like that! I don’t know what the two of you have been talkin’ about, but he’s a goddamn person!”

Enoshima’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “Momota? Yelling? What a shocker. You’ve always been the _loud_ type, haven’t you?”

“You ruin enough lives every day, just ‘cause you feel like it,” Momota accused, conviction in his voice. “I’ve known what you’ve been doing for years, but I could never do anything about it, since all the teachers love you. Hell, everyone in Hope’s Peak loves you! But one day, when I can find a way to prove you’re just a liar, I’m gonna take you off of that throne you think you have!”

Enoshima clapped, sarcasm dripping from her every action. “Brave. You should be a politician—that speech was moving.”

Momota scowled. “You can make fun of me now, but you won’t be soon.”

“You’ve always had such a way with words.” Enoshima’s grin only widened as she stepped forward again practically pressing against the bars of the cell. “But I don’t _think_ I sit on a throne. I know I do. You’re in my castle, and I make the rules.”

“Castle…” Momota echoed, before his eyes widened in realization. “Oh, yeah! Where the hell are we?”

“You only just realized that?” Kokichi hissed.

“Sorry, man, I forgot to help you up,” Momota apologized, reaching his hand out. Kokichi reluctantly took it, and stared at the floor as he was heaved to his feet. “I don’t know what’s going on, but we’ll find a way out of this together.”

“Out?” Enoshima laughed—long and painfully pretty. “You’re joking, right? Jeez, Momota, you should really be a comedian. No one can _leave_ my dungeon. Oh, well, that’s not true. Maybe if you ask nicely.”

“Um… can we leave your dungeon?” Momota asked, clearly unsure of himself. _Idiot. There’s no way it’s going to be this easy. Not with a person like Enoshima. Even if she does let us out of wherever the hell this is, it won’t be for long. I can tell._

“Hm… that’s a hard question,” Enoshima whined and stomped her foot on the ground like she was throwing a tantrum. “I’m going to need some time to think about it. You don’t mind waiting, do you? It won’t be long. How about,” Enoshima’s expression went from one of deep thought to what Kokichi imagined the devil would look like smiling, “eternity?”

“What?!”

“I knew you’d be understanding!” Enoshima cheered, bringing her arms into the air.

“Let us out,” Kokichi demanded, voice weak from his dry throat. “There’s… there’s no reason to keep us here. We don’t have anything to offer you.”

“Oh, did you forget already?” Enoshima grabbed onto the bars of the cell, and she let out a grin unlike the others—one that revealed her true nature. It was  ugly in every way possible, from the way that it twisted in ways it shoudn’t have been able to all the way to how her eyes reflected her pure malice. _Is this was Momota was talking about when he said that Saihara wouldn’t stand up against anything? Was he not standing up against Enoshima?_ “People are boring and predictable. Even if you did have something material to offer me, it wouldn’t be anything I don’t already have. But you two are still _perfectly_ intact—mentally, I mean. Momota’s leg might still be sore from when it was broken last year.”

Kokichi blinked again, forcing his eyes to stay open. Broken…?

“I want to bend both of you until you finally snap,” Enoshima whispered, leaning in close. Momota hissed and lunged for her, but she took a single step back and she was out of his reach, the bars of the cell restraining. Enoshima giggled.

“You’re sick,” Momota shouted, holding tight onto the bars. “I don’t know what the hell you’re planning, but I’m not gonna stand around and watch! You’ve been bossing around the whole school since the day you got here, and now you think you’re the queen of… wherever the hell this is!”

“You think you can do something?” Enoshima asked, suddenly dropping into a completely monotone voice. _It’s like she keeps changing personalities…_ “You think you can do anything at all?”

“I know I can,” Momota insisted, not the least bit irked.

“Okay, then!” Enoshima laughed, jumping back to what she was like before. Not even Kokichi could keep up with her, and switching acts was basically his thing. “That’s really brave of you, Momota. I’m _so_ interested that I’d like to see your courage in action. Guards?” The knights standing beside her snapped into a formal position, ready to do her bidding.

Kokichi knew this couldn’t be good.

Enoshima smiled. “Why don’t we begin?”

  


.

 

 

It wasn’t uncommon for Saihara to be called to Principal Kirigiri’s office—it was a regular occurance, actually. Principal Kirigiri often needed him to take care of certain tasks, which was understandable, considering his role as vice student council president. He signed up for these responsibilities.

But today it wasn’t quite what he thought it’d be. “Ouma-kun hasn’t… shown up?” It was lunchtime already…

Principal Kirigiri nodded, Ms. Yukizome standing beside him. “I was wondering if you might have known anywhere he could have run off to. Considering his record, his absence is very concerning.”

“He wouldn’t skip school to do anything bad,” Saihara insisted. _Why am I defending him? I barely know him. But… something about this isn’t right._ “He knows he’s on thin ice, and he seemed smart enough. I’m more than sure he’s aware of the consequences that would await him if he skipped school in favor of… certain things.”

“I think so, too,” Ms. Yukizome said, a small smile on her face. “I like believing in all of my students, but… if he doesn’t show up today, this might be a big deal. I’ve been waiting in the office for him. Based on your reaction, you don’t know where he is, do you?”

“No,” Saihara admitted. “I have no idea… I could call him, if you wish. We exchanged contact information.”

Principal Kirigiri shook his head. “No. That won’t be necessary. He knows that there’s school right now—there’s no way he wouldn’t. Whether or not he shows up is his decision. I just hope he makes the right one.”

Saihara nodded, solemn.

“You’re excused, then,” Ms. Yukizome dismissed, smiling at him. “Have a good day, Saihara-kun.”

“You as well,” he responded, bowing. He exited immediately after, racking his head for reasons Ouma might be late. Reasons that didn’t involve drugs or gangs. He might have woken up late? But that would be very irresponsible, and considering his record the school board would never believe that excuse. Ouma had a student pass for the trains like all the students who didn’t live in the area, so transport shouldn’t have been a problem. Then… why?

“Saiiihara-kun!” a lively voice called as he walked down the hallway. He looked up to see Enoshima grinning at him. She walked over and slung an arm around his shoulders. “Well, if it isn’t my _reliable_ number two. How the first day of school going so far?” Her voice was sweet like honey.

“Um… good, I suppose,” Saihara responded, blinking. “Do you need anything, Junko-chan?”

“Actually, I do. How’d you know? You’re really the best, Saihara-kun,” Enoshima praised, smiling at him. “You see, Principal Kirigiri needs me to check up on these students. They’re having some issues with their lives outside of school, and they need someone to help. I’m supposed to go, but I’m _super_ busy today. You wouldn’t mind going… would you?”

_I should say no. She always asks for me to do her work, and I have enough to do as it is. Saying no is the sensible thing to do. But…_

“Okay,” Saihara murmured, looking down. “When are you supposed to meet with them?” He could never say no to her. He could never say no to anyone in general. His entire job was to help people, right? What he was doing couldn’t be wrong. It wasn’t like Enoshima didn’t know _how_ to do her job, anyway, so nobody was getting hurt from her relying on him.

“Student council room, right now,” Enoshima told him. “They’re waiting on you, Saihara-kun! Chop chop! Time’s a wasting!”

Saihara nodded. “I’ll see you at the student council meeting after school today, correct?”

Enoshima grinned at him. “Of course! You’re _so_ nice, Saihara-kun. You’re my favorite second-year in this whole school.” She ruffled his hair. “Byeee!” And with that, she walked off, most likely to do something to either ruin someone’s life for the rest of high school or the rest of… well, their life. Enoshima’s influence was frightening.

Saihara glanced at the clock one last time. _What are you doing, Ouma-kun?_

 

 

.

 

 

The cell opened, and Enoshima and the guards stepped in. The knights stood in front of Enoshima protectively, so Momota couldn’t lay a finger on her. _This… this entire thing is rigged. Momota and I didn’t stand a chance from the beginning. What’s the point of even trying, then? They have all the power in this situation… we don’t even know where we are or how we got here. This… this place is surreal._

“Are you going to kill us?” Momota asked, and to his credit, he wasn’t shaking, nor did his voice waver. _Maybe he’s stronger than I’ve been giving him credit for._

“Not today, don’t worry!” Enoshima promised. “After all, you have to bend something before it breaks.”

“You’re going to torture us,” Kokichi realized, speaking his thoughts out loud. “Until you get the reactions you want. Then you’ll kill us.”

“I won’t kill you if you’re entertaining.” Enoshima grinned. “So be entertaining, won’t you?”

“Never!” Momota refused. “Death would be better than being tortured every day for eternity. This… this whole thing is crazy! Where are the police?!”

“You really don’t know where you are, do you?” Enoshima questioned, sighing, going to her monotone personality. “Once again, you’re in my castle. There’s no way to leave unless I say so, and the police aren’t around here. Though, I definitely wouldn’t oppose to you calling for help.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Momota demanded.

Enoshima shrugged, still in her bored personality. “Knights, start. Or whatever."

“Hell no!” Momota yelled, and before anyone—even Enoshima—could see anything coming, Momota shot forward between the guards, and hist fist connected with Enoshima’s jaw, making a _thunk_ sound upon impact. Kokichi winced. This wasn’t going to be good at all. The guards forced him away from her and onto the ground.

Enoshima didn’t say anything at first, and that was the worst part. It was just cold, icy silence. Kokichi hated every second of it. And then she finally spoke, acid dripping from her voice in a way that ate through her usual fake honey voice, “Kill him.”

_No. No, no, no, no—this is my fault, I’m the one who brought him here, what was I thinking? I’m the one who made him want to come, and now he’s going to get killed for trying to protect both of us. And I was a jerk to him, too. An even worse one than I usually am to people. How did all of this happen?_

The guards picked him up and shoved him against the wall, Momota struggling in their grasp. It was no use—he didn’t stand a chance against both of their strengths together. There was nothing he could do. It was hopeless. It was all hopeless. Kokichi had been curious, and now Momota was going to die. What was the saying? That curiosity killed the cat? Except in this case the cat’s curiosity killed the dog.

“Stop,” Kokichi pleaded. “He’s sorry. He’ll do anything.”

“If he’ll do anything, then I hope he won’t be opposed to having a spear through his heart,” Enoshima said in a sickly sweet voice. “Oh, how the good die young. If only he had just done what he was told. Maybe he’d get to live for another week or so. Or maybe not. He’s too loud for my tastes. Still, I would’ve at least let him live the night, to see if maybe he’d have given up by tomorrow.”

“I’ll never give up,” Momota shouted, although fear was present in his eyes. _I’m so sorry._ “Not even… not even now…”

“Will you just shut up and die already?” Enoshima hissed, taking on an entirely new personality from the ones before. “You’re nothing but a nuisance.”

“That’s not true.” Momota’s voice was shaking now.

“Really? Because that’s what everyone thinks. You were the star athlete last year up until you broke your leg,” Enoshima told him. “Then everyone stopped caring. You were just a loud annoyance who couldn’t win us anymore games. Funny, isn’t it? People who stop being useful become nothing at all. That’s what you are. _Nothing_.” But... how did Momota break his leg?

“What the hell,” Momota hissed, “is your deal?”

“My deal is that you’ve been in my way since the day I met you,” Enoshima accused, stepping closer. “Well, not that it matters anymore! You’ll finally be dead. Great, isn’t it?” _Can’t she pick a personality and stick with it?_

“I… I…” Momota sputtered.

“Buh-bye!” Enoshima waved, voice mocking one of a child’s. The guards lifted their spears, ready to stab his flesh. He would die.

_No, no, no… they’re serious. They’re not going to stop. Why did I ever come here?_

Momota’s breath hitched.

_Nothing good has ever happened to me recently. It’s just been one horrible thing after another. I just need one miracle. I just something to be on my side._

Momota’s eyes closed and the guards drew the spears back, about to make the impact.

**_Are you just going to stand there and watch? Are you going to lie on the ground as the person who defended you gives his life up?_ **

That… that voice didn’t belong to him.

**_Aren’t you tired of watching as your life is destroyed by the people around you? The only way to live your own life is to take charge and save yourself, as well as the others who wish to save you._ **

Kokichi’s eyes widened, his thoughts coming back to him. “No!” Kokichi shouted. It caught everyone in the room by surprise.

Enoshima laughed. “So, you have an outside voice after all.”

“Get away from him,” Kokichi hissed, forcing himself to his feet despite the aching in his bones. “You can’t just kill him.”

“Oh, why’s that?” Enoshima asked. “Oh, I get it now! You want to take his place, don’t you? What a good friend you are. Well, I can’t turn down such a noble request. Guards, you know what to do.”

The guards whipped around, their spears pointed at Kokichi.

“What are you doing?!” Momota yelled. “They’re going after you, now! That’s worse!”

The voice chuckled, deep and low. **_Very well. I see you have made your decision. Then vow to me!_ **

Kokichi collapsed onto the ground again, this time out of a new pain. His hands made their way to his face to find… a mask…? He tugged and pulled, writhing on the ground. It hurt. It _hurt_.

**_I am thou, thou art I… thou who art willing to perform sacrilegious acts for thine own justice, call upon my name!_ **

Kokichi let out a blood-curdling scream.

**_Call upon my name, and release thy rage!_ **

Kokichi finally pulled the mask off of his face, and blood poured from his face where he had torn the mask off. Where he had torn his _skin_ off. The mask… was a part of him. This voice was a part of him.

The guards began closing in on him, and Kokichi knew it was now or never. There was only one word he could think to say. “Arsene!” The sound of broken chains echoed through the room as Kokichi’s surroundings were filled with bright flames. He could feel someone behind him… someone... no, him. This person was a part of him.

“I am the pillager of twilight, Arsene!” Arsene announced, his entrance as dramatic as it could be. “You know these enemies stand in your way. Do what you must!”

Kokichi opened his eyes, and watches as the guards transformed into… a floating pumpkin and a fairy? What the hell was going on? He knew that despite their appearances, they were definitely enemies. Well, he knew when the pumpkin tried swinging its lantern at him. That was really annoying.

He racked his mind for what to say—what to do. “Eiha!” he called, and a forced appeared from under the pumpkin. Streaks of black and red surrounded it, killing half of its health. _I did that?_ Kokichi reached for his pocket, and realized there was a… dagger? When the hell did that get there? His entire outfit had changed, too. _This is insane._ It was all black, now. He probably looked really edgy.

Kokichi lunged forward with his dagger, and in one hit the pixie disappeared into nothingness. _I have no idea what I just did, but I like it._ The pumpkin tried to hit him again, but he dodged this time, and followed up with an attack of his own. The pumpkin ended the same way the pixie had.

“What,” Momota began, “the hell.”

Kokichi glanced at him, before noticing how the cell door was still open. “Run!” he commanded, grabbing Momota’s arm and making a run for it, not looking back. He could barely make out Enoshima’s expression, but he knew it wouldn’t have been one he would like. Enoshima didn’t seem to be running after them, though, and Kokichi didn’t want to look back.

“How do we get out of here?” Momota questioned. “And _what_ just happened?”

“I don’t know,” Kokichi admitted, shaking his head. “We have to figure this out. Do you remember the way we came in, or did they knock you out too?”

Momota looked to the side. “Well…”  


 

.

  


Akamatsu looked around. According to all of the rumors, the new kid was supposed to be in her homeroom with Ms. Yukizome. But then… where was he? She had seen him on his way to school. Or was he not going to school at all? Was he planning to go somewhere else the whole time? But then… why go to Aoyama-Itchome at all, when it was so close? If the police spotted him in his school uniform, he’d be done for.

So much didn’t make sense.

Harukawa, who sat next to her, nudged her. It had really been luck that put both of them in the same homeroom. Akamatsu didn’t know what she’d do without Harukawa. “You look out of it,” Harukawa said. “Is everything fine?”

“Remember the boy this morning? The one with the bad record?” Akamatsu questioned. “He’s… he’s not here. He’s supposed to be here but he’s not. Do you think something happened?” If something did, she’d never forgive herself. She should have been more adamant about letting him come along. He was a classmate in need of help, after all, no matter his background.

Harukawa rolled her eyes. “He was close enough to the school. If he’s not here, it’s because he doesn’t want to be. Don’t tell me you’re surprised, Kaede. He’s a delinquent.”

Akamatsu sighed. “I guess…”

“Don’t think about it,” Harukawa told her, trying her best to assure her. “Keeping your mind off of things like these is the best solution.”

Akamatsu nodded. “Right…”

She didn’t think anything could get her mind off of something like this.  


 

.

  


“Wow,” Kokichi commented, “for an idiot you have a great memory.”

“I’m not an idiot!”

They snuck down the hallways until they finally managed to make it to the main entrance. But the doors were closed, now. How were they supposed to get outside?

“There’s no way I can open that,” Momota said. “Can you?”

“If you can’t, then how could I?”

“I dunno! You have those freaky powers you still aren’t tellin’ me about,” Momota complained.

“Don’t be so loud,” Kokichi hissed. He scanned their surroundings. There were open spaces next to the doors, most likely to serve as windows of some sort. They were pretty high up. The only way to leave through that way was to…

“Hey, help me up,” Kokichi commanded, pointing at the openings. “If you get me up there, I’ll pull you up. Or I can try. If it comes down to it, I can try to open the doors from the other side.”

“Okay,” Momota easily complied. “You’d better not leave me behind, though! Now that we’re friends, we’ve gotta stick together.”

“Who said we’re friends?” Kokichi asked and Momota began to lift him up.

“After all we’ve seen together, is your biggest problem really me wanting to be your friend?” Momota deadpanned, and he actually made a good point. Kokichi sighed. Somehow, once Kokichi was on the opening, he managed to pull Momota up with him. He could still feel Arsene bubbling inside of him. Arsene was him, after all, right? This was so confusing…

They both jumped down, and they were outside of the castle once more. Kokichi opened his mouth to say something, but he looked up to see another person there. It was a blue-haired girl with glasses, staring at him in shock. Her outfit was as unusual as his—it was a skin-tight dark blue suit. Her mask was the same shade of blue as her outfit. All of that blue was really overkill, to be honest. What was she doing?

“Could it be?” the girl asked, her mouth agape in surprise. “Are there other Meta-Nav users?”

Momota blinked. “Meta what now?”

“Hey, you! Your outfit,” the girl noticed, looking directly at Kokichi. “Are you a persona user? Are there really others after all? What a coincidence… to think we’d choose to come here at the same time…”

“I don’t know what a persona is,” Kokichi snapped, stepping away from her. “And I don’t know what you want.”

“So you really don’t know, huh? You must be new to this,” the girl observed. “Well, don’t worry. I guess I can show you the ropes. It’s really confusing all at once.”

“What?” Momota asked. “What’s really confusing?”

“There they are!” voices shouted as two guards bounded up to them. The entrance was still sealed, and they would’ve noticed if they got outside through the openings, so either there was another exit or they had been outside the entire time. “Get them!”

“Oh, I see you’ve met the queen,” the girl said. She smiled. “That must’ve been something.”

“Huge understatement…” Momota muttered.

“We have to run,” Kokichi insisted, grabbing Momota’s arm. “I don’t think I can take them. They look strong.”

“That won’t be a problem!” the girl stepped forward, glancing at them from behind her mask. “I’m Shirogane Tsumugi, at your service!”  


 

.

  


 

“Junko-sama!” the voices of her guards filled the room as they quickly rushed to her aid. Not that it mattered. The delinquent and his idiot friend were long gone. “What happened?”

Enoshima rolled her eyes. “Give me some space, will you?” They did just that, stepping away from her without a second thought. They really were her puppets. Footsteps filled the room, and the guards scattered at the new presence in the room. She looked up to see Saihara.

“This is the cell that was assigned to the delinquent and Momota,” Saihara said, as if she didn’t already know. “They’re not here anymore. Did they escape?”

“You could say that.”

Saihara frowned. “Was it the delinquent? What did he do?”

Enoshima grinned, a light brought back to her eyes that was missing before. “He snapped.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just in case it might have been confusing, the last part was an exchange between the cognitive saihara and enoshima, not the real deals!
> 
> i wanted to choose different personas for the entire cast rather than the ones used for the gang in p5, but i felt like arsene was fitting for kokichi, haha
> 
> and for those of you who don't know p5 but are reading this anyway, basically the world with the castle isn't the real world, and inside the real world entirely different things are happening. that's all i really want to say for right now? because it'll all be explained in the next chapter basically (thanks tsumugi)
> 
> comments and kudos are highly appreciated!
> 
> also as you may have noticed, the relationships have changed! i changed them to things i decided would be better plot-wise as i figured out more of what i wanted to do. other relationship tags will still be added, of course. just keep in mind that being a part of a relationship isn't equal to being one of the phantom thieves! some of the people tagged aren't going to be part of the pthieves


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